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After the inaugural Cameron Institute Leadership Showcase was a rousing virtual success last year, this year's sequel brought members of the Cal Athletics community together in person for an engaging evening of inspiration in the Tahir Meeting Room at the Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance.

Current student-athletes Ezinne Abba of track & field, Christian Gomez of men's soccer, Angelina Anderson of women's soccer and Matthew Cindric of football shared remarks about their collegiate leadership journey while women's swimming alum and seven-time Olympic medalist Dana Vollmer dazzled the crowd with her story of mental perseverance that helped her become an international superstar.

The showcase, which drew a room full of fellow student-athletes, coaches and staff, was designed by the Cameron Institute to put on full display the leadership acumen and stories of Cal student-athletes.

"The Cameron Institute is here to help our Cal student-athletes become authentic leaders who are purposeful and live their core values," Cameron Institute Director of Leadership and Personal Development Dr. Sean Hendricks said.

Vollmer, who swam for the Bears from 2007-09 and led the team to its first-ever NCAA team championship, went on to become one of the most decorated female swimmers in Olympic history. In addition to also winning two individual NCAA titles at Cal, Vollmer appeared in three Summer Olympics, winning five gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

Vollmer discussed the change she went through after failing to qualify for the Olympic Team in 2008, including the self-developed concept of "MEE" – mind, energy and enough.

"Today as I look back over my career, I see three main areas of growth and discovery that allowed me to go from broken and wearing a costume of confidence to the person I am today," Vollmer told the audience. "I developed MEE – three concepts that I hope will change the way that you create and execute your path going forward."

Among her accomplishments, Vollmer became the first mom to win a swimming gold medal. But she says she may have never reached the top of her sport if it weren't for the disappointment in 2008. After already winning one gold medal as part of the United States' 4x200 freestyle relay team as a high schooler in 2004, she placed fifth in the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter butterfly – ending her Olympic dream for that cycle.

But Vollmer came back to win gold in the 100 fly at the 2012 Summer Games in London as well as in a pair of relays. She picked up three more Olympic medals at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"I wouldn't have said this back then, but missing the Olympic team freed me," Vollmer said. "This failure allowed me to have a transformation that was much needed. The image of who you think you need to be is the factor that's holding you back."

Vollmer turned to her concept of MEE to ultimately reach her goals. She said she her mindset had been based on others' expectations, not her own. She found a renewed energy that was directly proportional to reaffirming her love for the sport. And she came to peace with the idea that she is enough – not the image of what others thought she should be.

"As you're starting your next adventure, start by developing MEE – a deep understanding of your mind, your energy source and believing that you are enough," Vollmer told the crowd. "Results will come and go, but our self-worth cannot be sacrificed or tied to our achievements. Unravel the costume of who you think you need to be because the world doesn't need another superhero. The world needs our flaws and our differences. The world needs you."

Gomez said it took him about a year-and-a-half at Cal to realize there was something more to him than just being a top athlete. Competing for a Pac-12 program or playing internationally may have given him a measure of clout, but that didn't necessarily mean he was automatically also a good leader, teammate or friend. He went through a transformation when he became a Cal Athletics peer advisor.

"I realized there was something that I hadn't tapped into," Gomez said. "There was more to me. I was given perspective. I was given better communication skills. I was given a new sense of responsibility. It was a responsibility that I was no longer looking after myself."

Anderson, an All-American goalkeeper for the Bears, discussed the connection of vulnerability and leadership. She pointed out that being a goalie is one of the most vulnerable positions in all of sports, but one that she has learned to embrace.

"Being a goalkeeper is vulnerable and uncomfortable," Anderson said. "You are constantly in a state of the utmost vulnerability in which you must succeed. What makes you vulnerable is what makes you powerful and capable. Vulnerability is power and courage, and it's the starting place of really, really special things."

Cindric was selected to be part of the football team's leadership committee as a freshman, a rare development but one that speaks to his natural leadership acumen. Cindric believes it's because he "leads on the margins" – taking care to lift up what is most neglected and paying close attention to the details.

"Looking back to when I was put on the leadership committee, I finally see why I was added," Cindric said. "It wasn't for my talent. It wasn't for how good I was on the field or my vocal leadership. It was because I led with great care."

Abba arrived at Cal with the urge to get involved on campus. By the end of her freshman year, she was a board member of the on-campus Black Recruitment & Retention Center. She also became the president of the Black Student-Athlete Committee.

Abba said one of the lessons she has learned is that part of effective leadership is putting others in a successful position to follow.

"Leadership isn't always about leading from the front, but making space for those that follow," Abba said. "I found that for me to put myself in these positions to affect change for others, I needed to step outside of my norm, push me outside of my comfort zone and basically take a leap of faith. You have the power to affect change simply by being yourself and being authentic with your intentions."